It was, admittedly, not an easy decision to choose to hold our annual fundraiser as a virtual 5K & 2K this year. We considered a number of options, including postponing it until life resumes a sort of normalcy, but what it comes down to is that the gathering situation doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon, and the Swinging Bridge still needs our support, so our solution of holding the fundraiser in the safest way possible ended up being an effective compromise. And while doing it this way might seem limiting in some respects, this week, we’re going to be exploring the opportunities of doing a 5K in this new way. If you’re not familiar with what a virtual 5K is or how to participate this year, check out our previous blog post on how we’re handling the event this year!
The first, and probably most obvious opportunity of this event, is that more people are able to participate. Usually, our annual 5K run and 2K walk are held on a single date at the Androscoggin Riverwalk, this year’s event will be held across an entire week. Any time from September 5th to noon on the 13th, you’re free to complete your 5K run or 2K walk at your leisure, at your own pace and at your own time. If getting your family in on the event has been difficult in the past, with each of you moving at a different pace and not necessarily being able to keep up with the pack, you’re now much more free to set your own pace as you navigate your chosen path. You can even run it with your pets!
| You’re even free to do it at your own location! Since this year’s walk and run are not restricted to the use of the Riverwalk path, you can run your course wherever you’d like. This gives you the opportunity to bust out a map and explore your local area, finding places to run where you haven’t before. Get outside your comfort zone, find some new places! |  |
 | And since you’re doing this run solo, you’ve got the opportunity to wear whatever outfit you’d like! Got a favorite running outfit you don’t usually get to wear? Got a shirt hanging in your closet you’ve been waiting for an excuse to put on? Or are you just really fond of superheroes and you’ve been looking for a reason to wear your favorite Captain America shirt outdoors? Well now’s your chance, because among plenty of other things, we’re giving out prizes for funniest and most unusual running outfits! |
| What it comes down to, ultimately, is accessibility. Even those who volunteered in previous years, now have the opportunity to do a run themselves. Even SOSB founder Nancy E. Randolph is getting in on it! Previous years doing 5K runs and 2K walks have done so much to foster a sense of community and togetherness among those of us coming together to help support our favorite Maine landmark, and without that, and all of you, we wouldn’t be able to do something like this. |  |
But though this year we have to do our parts separately, circumstance has afforded us opportunities to do things differently, doing things in ways we couldn’t before. And whether you’re running, contributing, donating, we’d like to thank you again for all your help.
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